Friday, December 26, 2008
International
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 27 December, 2008
SOURCES: PAKISTAN MOVES TROOPS TO INDIA BORDER
Pakistani troops have been moved to the Indian border amid fears
of an Indian ground incursion, two Pakistani military officials
told CNN on Friday. India's prime minister was briefed on the
security situation amid rising cross-border tensions following
the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
POLICE: BURNS FROM FIRE ALTERED 'KILLER SANTA' PLOT
A pipe bomb exploded Thursday night in a rental car used a day
earlier by a man suspected in a Christmas Eve attack that left
at least eight people dead, police said. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo
committed suicide hours after he allegedly -- dressed as Santa
Claus -- opened fire at a holiday party and then started a fire
inside a Covina, California, home, police said.
'BARACK THE MAGIC NEGRO' DEFENDED AS SATIRE
A candidate for the Republican National Committee chairmanship
said Friday the CD he sent committee members for Christmas --
which included a song titled "Barack the Magic Negro" -- was
clearly intended as a joke.
MILITANTS' ROCKET KILLS 2 CHILDREN IN GAZA
Israel opened three border crossings with Gaza on Friday,
allowing fuels and commodities into the Palestinian territory
for the first time in 10 days.
FIVE DIE IN PERU DISCO STAMPEDE
Police in Peru were searching Friday for the person who threw a
tear gas canister into an unlicensed discotheque early Christmas
Day, causing a stampede that killed five people, Peruvian news
reports said.
CHINESE WARSHIPS SET SAIL TO COMBAT PIRACY
Two Chinese destroyers and a supply ship set sail for the Gulf
of Aden on a mission to protect Chinese merchant ships from an
increasing number of pirate attacks occurring in the waters off
Somalia, state media report.
PRISONERS, OFFICERS KILLED IN IRAQI JAILBREAK
Seven prisoners were killed Friday while attempting to escape
from an Iraqi police station, according to an Interior Ministry
official.
27 DEAD AFTER UKRAINIAN APARTMENT BLAST
The final death toll from a Christmas Eve explosion in a
five-story apartment building in southern Ukraine has increased
to 27 people, including three children, Ukrainian officials said
Friday.
BUSINESS
JAPAN'S INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT SEES RECORD FALL
Japan's government releases some key reports indicating the
nation's economy is suffering along with the rest of the world,
with its industrial output tumbling over 8 percent in November.
TWO TRIED OVER TAINTED MILK POWDER
A dealer of a toxic chemical and a producer went on trial Friday
in China, state media reported, in the latest development in the
country's tainted milk powder scandal that left six babies dead
and sickened 290,000 others.
AMERICANS KEEP TIGHTER GRIP ON CASH
In a troubling sign that U.S. consumers are retrenching this
holiday season, consumer spending and orders for durable goods
fell further in November, according to government reports.
